Disasters happen every year. We can't always stop them from happening, but we can limit the scale of devastation. Here are 10 things you should know about disaster risk reduction. Disasters are emergencies that cannot be handled by those affected without outside assistance. They are caused by natural or manmade events wherein communities experience severe danger and incur loss of lives and properties causing disruption to their social structure and to all or some of the affected communities’ essential functions. Disasters are inevitable. They are caused by unsustainable development that has not taken account of possible hazard impacts in that location. They can be less damaging if the population has better understanding of locally-experienced hazards and implements preventive or mitigating measures against them.